This War of Mine puts The Little Ones in harm's way

This War of Mine, a survival strategy game released in 2014, paints a sobering picture of life in the shadow of war. Now developer 11 Bit Studios is adding children to this already harrowing circumstance in the upcoming expansion, The Little Ones. I caught up with senior writer Pawel Miechowski to discuss how the team balances such somber material with making a fun game.

The original This War of Mine is a game of impossible choices. You lead a band of broken and beaten survivors who all must do what they must in order to endure life in a city under siege. Adding children to this already harrowing backdrop could push this game well into heartbreak territory, but, as Miechowski explains, children are actually one of the few rays of sunshine in the survivor's lives.